My Desert Home
by Skyogenic
Summary: Complete! What would happen if Ulrich were trapped on Lyoko, unable to age, while his friends became adults in the real world? And worst of all, a glitch in the Return to the Past program erases Ulrich from all his friends' memories? UxYxO
1. The Desert

My 1st Code Lyoko fanfic. Yesterday, I posted a KP fanfic and my reviewers loved it, so thanks for the motivation to continue my writing.

I don't own Code Lyoko.

Quick Author's note: I wrote this fic a long time ago and just decided to see if I was any good back then. With enough reviews and/or motivation, I'll be able to rewrite this fanfic in the near future. Please proceed.

**My Desert Home**

If any terrain deserved to be called a desert, my homeland did. I sat comfortably on the dried, burning-hot sand, taking in my surroundings. Nothing but sand as far as the human eye could reach and the occasional shriveled weed. Behind me sat an oasis, half filled with water, but lacking any green or healthy vegetation.

_How did I get here?_

The blazing sun hovered in the same spot it's been for as long as I can remember. The sun never set and rain never fell from the sky in this desert, which reveals the cause of the extinct cactus and other common desert plants here. The unchanging sun is constantly cooking the land. I've lived here long enough to pass my observations as facts.

_How long have I been here?_

I laid back in thought. I've lived in this desert, separated from human contact, without any knowledge of myself. I didn't even know my age.

_How old am I? What's my name?_

_Where am I?_ I know I'm in a desert, but where on Earth is this desert located, if there is an Earth? I've been to the edges of the desert. I've seen the end of it, but on the other side of the border is nothing but what I call an empty ocean. I also know that anything that goes into the sea never comes out again. My desert hovers feet over the deadly sea. Every day, I sit in wonder, for if gravity overcame the desert we'd both (the desert and I) would be lost forever in the carnivorous ocean that never ends.

However, I never think about trying to escape this desert. I enjoy the heat from the unsetting sun, and I enjoy the wide open terrain where I have plenty of room to run my fastest, which is faster than any human possibility. Though my desert also is home to the deadly packs of Kankralots and Bloks, all I need to do is steer clear of them and I am usually left unharmed and ignored.

Bloks are six-legged cubes, and they have a vulnerable spot on all four sides. They can rotate their heads on and axis connecting the legs to the head. Each of the Blok's four eyes has a different function: one eye is the brain, the next can project lasers, another can fire pulses of fire rings, and the last is able to freeze its enemies.

Kankralots are much smaller, weaker, and less intelligent than Bloks. Still, they do have some form of speed and they are able to cling onto many objects. Kankralots resemble a cockroach and its weak point is located on its carapace.

Tall towers populate this land more than any forms of vegetation do. My home, being a tower itself, is closest to the oasis, in case I am in need of a drink. Most towers emit a blue glow around it, though three of them are red. The Kankralots and Bloks seem to guard those. My curiosity got the better of me one day. What was in there that could be so important? I drew my saber and attacked the packs, leaving not one living creature behind. After the life-risking dare, I entered the red tower to find that it looked exactly the same inside as any other blue tower. There wasn't anything to hide.

I sat up and drew my saber. _Where did I get this? _I am constantly using this sword, whether it's battling for my life against a Blok, or just simply drawing figures in the sand. Speaking of which, I began to do so at that moment. I carefully outlined the building I had seen so many times in my dreams. I want to believe that my dream is a memory of my past, that I once lived in a large building surrounded by people my own age.

_What do I look like?_

This mystery bothered me the most. I knew I had brown hair, but where was I going to find a mirror in the middle of a desert hidden from the world? The oasis proved to show poor reflections, but I learned to cope.

I stood, ready to go back to my tower, and stepped toward my OverBike. The one-wheeled motorcycle proved a much more efficient way to travel. The OverBike halted in front of a tall blue-tinted tower that was my home. Inside the tower, I stared into the dark abyss below the hovering platform where I sleep.

The darkness actually led to The Metal World. There was no form of living nature in that world. Every creature and every thing was a metallic horror, noticeable or not. The school of Mantas, the group of Creepers, and the lone Scyphizoa (the only known creature of its kind) populate the area. I visit many times, but loathe the moments I do. I only visit to collect a necessity, food. Even loners need to eat.

The interior walls of the tower blocked any scorching sunlight from outside and provided its own peaceful blue light. A yawn escaped my lips and I laid my head down to once again drift onto a deep sleep.

I sat in a room in a large building. Humans my age surrounded me on my left, my right, in front, and behind me. We all sat in chairs, facing a green colored board and a woman, much older than I was, writing on the board with a thin white stick. She spoke to us in a firm voice, and wrote some more.

I looked among the group sitting down, studying certain faces. The one sitting beside me wore purple and pink, and his hair was yellow with a purple spot in the center. He faced me and threw his hand upward. His fingers were bent inward except for his thumb, which stood upright. That gesture, accompanied with his kind face, seemed to be a sign of encouragement. I copied his motions, giving him an upward thumb as well. We seemed to be companions here.

"Ulrich, pay attention in my class!" The woman's sharp voice stole my attention. _Who is this Ulrich she mentioned? _Maybe he would speak up so I could see him. I looked back and forth, searching for a guilty face, but I found none. I stared at the ones sitting in front of me. One was a male with yellow hair, wearing blue, and the other was a female wearing pink. They both stared back at me. "Ulrich! I will not ask again!"

The old woman would not seize to glare at me. _Me? I'm Ulrich?_ I figured I should apologize, but what if I'm not Ulrich? "I'm…sorry, ma'am."

"You'll be excused this one time, but it won't happen again. The next time you decide to daydream, it will be in the principal's office."

I thought over what I just heard. So, my name is Ulrich. "Ulrich…" I whispered to myself. I had no way of knowing if it fit me, because I have never seen a clear reflection of my face, but I liked the name. _What's a principal?_ Whoever he was, I concluded that I would prefer to steer clear of his office, so I paid attention.

A loud ring filled not only the room but also the entire building. I brought my hands to shield my ears from it. Everyone else cheered and showed signs of joy. They began filing out of the room, one-by-one. I exited behind the Boy-Of-Purple-Colors. He was my companion in the Gathering Room; maybe he was still my companion throughout the entire building. I followed him with my hope rising.

"Ulrich, what happened in Ms. Hertz's class? You forget your name or something?" he laughed. Though, I could only understand few of the words he had spoken, I enjoyed the feeling of conversation.

I was forced to smile in reply. I had no knowledge of how to answer and, luckily, he didn't expect a spoken one. I followed him to the outdoors, where I could recognize the welcoming sun. This land had many different forms of healthy vegetation that were alien to me. The firm sand was covered with green blankets, stretching far beyond the forest of tall plants.

The Boy led me to a long chair underneath one of the tall plants. The tall plant's stem was made of wood, and it did a thorough job shading me from the sun, though I didn't enjoy hiding from it. I've lived with the sun's rays constantly warming me for many uncountable years. Why would I want to stop now?

I stood from the long chair and escaped the tall plant's cold shade, allowing the sun to touch me once again. The Boy seemed confused. "Uh…"

I studied his face. He may be my companion now, but he may want to leave me if I act against his will. I did not know much about him, so I couldn't tell if he was angry with me, or if I was confusing him. Either way, I hated the look his face showed, so I reluctantly rejoined him on the long chair, feeling the warm sun disappear behind the tall plant's long green fingers. I was glad that tall plants didn't exist on my desert.

Another sharp ring filled my sensitive ears. "Hurry, Ulrich! We don't want to be late for class."

_Class?_ I was curious to see what 'Class' was. It appeared to be another Gathering Room, though it was structured differently. Another woman, much younger than the first, stood in front of the room. She began speaking to us.

The Boy raised his arm where the woman could notice. "Yes?"

"Ms. Mayer, I have to use the bathroom."

Whatever a bathroom was, she refused to allow him to go. "You should have gone before the bell rang."

"But Ma'am, I've really got to go!" The Boy seemed to be jumping in his chair. If the woman allowed him to go, then I would be left without a companion in this strange world.

"Me too!" I jumped out of my seat. I could feel the stares coming from around the Gathering Room, but I ignored them. The woman sighed and pointed at the entrance, motioning us to leave.

"Fine, just make it quick."

The Boy and I quickly exited the 'Class'. I followed close behind, wondering where he was leading me. When he entered a small door, I could make out many stalls and little bowls with tiny waterfalls shooting from a shiny hose that operated only when a knob is turned. Above the 'bowls of waterfalls' I found mirrors! I hurried to the mirror, ready to find my reflection staring back at me, but before I could reach it, an explosion erupted in the 'bathroom', shaking me to wake in the familiar blue tower.

I sat up in thought. My dreams have become more frequent now, and this was the first time I had heard my name spoken by the people in my dreams. Ulrich… I thought back at The Boy, my companion during both 'gatherings' and in between.

"Hello? Artificial Intelligence, respond if you can hear me," a booming voice spoke, ringing louder than the 'bell', as the second woman called it.

I stood up quickly, racing out of my tower home, ready to defend it, but the voice wasn't coming from outside the tower. It was coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. "I repeat: respond if you can hear me."

"W-Who's there? Show y-yourself." I pointed my saber out, hands shaking and feet melting.

A different voice responded, "Hello, Artificial Intelligence… What do you want me to call you?"

I, still shaking, answered, "U-Ulrich. Who are you?"

"I'm Jeremie Belpois. We've been studying you for ten years, Ulrich, with no way of contacting you until now. Do you know how old you are, or how long you've lived here?"

I lowered my saber, raising my head to speak to the stranger, "No, how old are you?"

He laughed, "Since you asked, I guess I'll have to answer truthfully. I'm thirty-eight years old."

"What else can you tell me about you?" I asked, curious of the voice.

"Well, I married eighteen years ago to a woman named Aelita Hopper, and I have two kids. One is fifteen and the other is thirteen. Now, you owe me some answers. First of all, how did you get there?"

I thought for a moment, searching in the back of my head, under forgotten memories, but not one told me how I first came upon the desert land. "It's difficult to speak to you like this. Is there some way where you can talk to me face to face? Could you come out of hiding?"

"I'm not from your world. I'm on Earth, and you're on Lyoko. I believe you can visit me, but it will take plenty of work. Could you wait for maybe three days?"

I nodded, but also spoke it in case Jeremie couldn't see my agreement. In about three days, I would be leaving my home into a new one… however long that is.

* * *

Please R&R. Like I mentioned before, any suggestions, advice, blah,blah, will be greatly appreciated. Karen Stern 05 : ) 


	2. Remember

I've offically decided to post two chappies every so often, so here's the next chap.

P.S. I don't own Code Lyoko. Never have, never will.

**CHAPTER 2**

Jeremie told me that a 'day' is equal to about twenty-four hours, and an hour is equal to sixty minutes. I counted away at the minutes that seemed to pass more slowly than ever. When necessary, I would collect food or water, and to pass time, I would fight any Kankralots or Bloks that came my way.

Jeremie would converse with me during something he called 'breaks', and he would talk about Earth. At one moment, he said, "Ulrich, I've noticed here that there are red towers over there."

"Yes."

"Red towers signify something bad."

I thought a moment; "Kankralots and Bloks are always guarding those. How do you know it's bad?"

"Trust me on this, Ulrich. I have an idea. Approach a red tower and destroy the monsters."

I hopped onto my OverBike and followed his orders. "Now what?"

"Enter the tower."

"Jeremie, I've been inside the red towers. There's nothing to hide in there."

"Trust me."

I entered the red tower and walked to the center of the hovering platform. A blue translucent board appeared in front of me, and I followed Jeremie's orders and placed my palm on the board. When I took my hand off, I watched as my handprint slowly disappeared and the name, "Ulrich" appeared.

"It says my name."

"Just as I thought." I could almost see Jeremie grinning. "Now what does it say?"

"It says "Code". What do I do?"

"Input the code: Lyoko."

I did as he told me. For a moment, nothing happened. I looked around the tower's interior, searching for any differences. "Jeremie, what's supposed to happen?"

"You just deactivated a tower, and our materialization program is speeding up! No wonder our computers have been acting so slowly. It seems you might be able to visit in several hours!"

"I can?" I had helped myself tremendously by doing a simple task. Never had my luck been this good.

"Just go to your tower and sit tight." I didn't understand the 'tight' part, but I understood the rest of his command. I sat, anticipating the moment I would be able to explore another world. After I counted three hours, Jeremie spoke to me again, "Ulrich, I've been doing research on you and your past. The computer says that you originally lived here on Earth."

"What? I remember no such thing."

"Let me finish. According to this, you've lived on Lyoko for about twenty-five years, but my team of scientists only turned on the supercomputer ten years ago, so you've been asleep for fifteen years."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you had a life here on Earth before you were mysteriously transported to Lyoko, and had your memory swiped away. Apparently, any memory of you has been swiped out of everyone and everything. You and I could have been best friends and we both wouldn't have known."

"Then, how do we figure out about my past life?"

""That, we should leave to after we successfully materialize you." Jeremie closed communications with me. I thought back of my dream. The Boy could have been my companion when I lived on Earth. Now, he probably doesn't even know my name. He probably had his own companions, and now he could be thirty-eight, like Jeremie. He could be married and he could have two kids, like Jeremie. He might even know Jeremie.

After two more hours passed Jeremie came back. He instructed me to stand very still in the middle of the tower. I followed orders and did my best to resist any movement. I began to float, hovering in the air for a minute or two, before I felt myself hit a hard surface. I was trapped in a cylindrical shaped area. I pushed against all the surfaces until an exit formed. A yellow-haired man stood, awaiting my arrival. He saw me and held out his hand.

I took it and he helped me up. I focused on his face and noticed that he was a striking image of the yellow-haired boy who wore blue in my dream. Behind him stood a group of people he called scientists. They all had instruments and layers of clothing over their hands and faces; they began to study me. One, whom Jeremie called a doctor, put a freezing metal slate against my chest, and asked everyone to quiet down. Another poked a tool into my ear. Another asked me to sit on a suspended chair and he firmly hit a tool against my knee. I watched as my leg bounced back and forth.

When they were done 'checking my health', as Jeremie called it, Jeremie and I were able to talk privately. My first impression of this world was horrible. I already longed for my desert home. Still, I was curious to know what kind of life I led here. "I need to get a quick scan from you to help us figure a little bit of your past. Step into this scanner, please." He led me into the tiny cylindrical area I first appeared in when I was brought here. "Don't worry one bit."

Without thinking, I blurted, "I'm not worried!" _Where did that come from?_ I usually answered truthfully, but not this time. The remark felt familiar somehow. Jeremie stared at me before continuing with his work.

The 'scanner' closed and I felt the same floating sensation as I had felt in the tower. When the scanner opened, I found Jeremie puzzling over the results. "You most likely attended Kadic Academy before you were trapped on Lyoko. If that's true, then we knew each other. The computer says you're… thirty-eight, like me. So, that means you were thirteen when you were trapped on Lyoko, the same age as me…"

His eyes searched me, like he had just solved my mystery. "Ulrich?"

"Hmm?"

"Ulrich? Is that really you?" He stood up and walked up to me. I looked up into his eyes; he was confused, but happy. I thought he might hug me. There he stood, towering over me, staring into my eyes. His eyes began watering up. _I wonder what Aelita would say if she saw him now._ Wait… Aelita! _I can remember Aelita! _I looked at Jeremie again. Yes, it was the same Jeremie that sent me to Lyoko that last day. The last day before I lost my memory…

**FLASHBACK:**

Aelita's been devirtualized before; it wasn't the first time we'd risked our butts for her to come visit us. Xana must have been furious this time because he sent us an extra large welcoming committee. I watched Aelita running to the Way tower, and drew my saber, ready to beat some Bloks. Not only Bloks appeared though; Xana sent an army of Kankralots, Krabes, Megatanks, Hornets, Mantas, Tarantulas, and Bloks!

Yumi, Odd, and I were kept busy as Aelita ran for her life from the Scyphizoa, who appeared on another desert plateau. I charged at the Scyphizoa, using my super-sprint to catch up to them both. I stood in front of Aelita and chased the Scyphizoa farther away from her. "Go on, Aelita!"

She only ran faster, which didn't help me much. The Scyphizoa picked me up, wrapped me around its front tentacles, and used the other three to connect with my mind. I mentally fought Xana from stealing my memory, but it was useless. I was in another one of Xana's traps.

I could tell everyone else was doing their best to reach me and save me from the Scyphizoa, but all of Xana's monsters kept them from even coming close to me. Suddenly, I saw a bright light that I knew could only be a Return-to-the-Past. "But, wait! I never activated any return trips!" Jeremie screamed. _Xana!_

When I woke up in the desert fifteen years later, I had no memory of my past. I quickly adapted to the conditions and my surroundings. I even learned to keep from the Kankralots and Bloks, but I never could remember anything about my past, save the few dreams I had… until now.

* * *

A review would put me in the best mood I've ever been in, PLEASE! Also, my first fanfic needs a little more publicity. Check out my KP fanfic, Soul Mates.

Karen Stern 05 says "adios." That's me!


	3. Friends

To remiond you all... this fic was written back before I had much writing talent :) and I just wanted to post it up to see if it was any good. With the proper motivation, I'll be able to rewrite it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko, never have, never will.

**CHAPTER 3**

Jeremie told me that as soon as they had materialized Aelita, they shut off the super computer for fifteen years until this group of scientists found it and turned it on again. "That Xana! I'm sure he used you as a replacement for losing Aelita. He wanted a prisoner, so he took the least expecting person."

I looked at him. I remember the days twenty-five years ago when I was taller than he was, and now he towered over me. "So, you and Aelita are finally together?" I grinned.

He glanced at me and started blushing, " Well, yeah… and two kids."

I whistled. "You and Aelita must have had a nice marriage."

"Even now, she and I are doing really well. Also—"

"Wait!" I interrupted. _Sorry Jeremie._ "That means that you found the anti-virus."

"Actually no. When Xana took you into Lyoko, I guess he must have lost interest in Aelita. There was no virus to delete."

"…What about my parents… and the school?"

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't they wonder where I had gone?"

"No, remember, when Xana wiped our memories, he made sure that not even your parents remembered you existed. As far as they are concerned, they don't have a son."

_What?_ "So-So I don't a family, or a life?"

"On Earth, you don't even exist."

I ran out of the factory, making my way up the rusted elevator. I was shocked that it still worked. I ran across the grass, through the forest, into the school and into my dorm. Or, it _was_ my dorm twenty-five years ago. When I closed the door, I heard a yell. Someone was sleeping in Odd's old bed, and my carelessness woke him up.

"What are you doing in here? I'm going to call Nick if you don't leave now."

"Nick… Nicholas?"

"He'd rather be called Nick. He's the gym teacher, and he's real strict."

"Sorry, but I..."

The kid turned on the lights. He wore a long red PJ shirt. His hair was black and spiked up, not like Odd's, but more like a porcupine's quills. He took a long look at me. I could tell my vision was blurring, but I didn't think it was that bad until he handed me a tissue. "You okay, man?"

"I'm just fine." I used my shirtsleeve to wipe my face clean.

"No you're not. My mom cries a lot, so I can tell when someone's tearing up."

"I'm not crying! Why does she cry? Do your parents get in fights?"

"Nah, she just says that she misses her friend. He disappeared one day. He was like a brother to my dad, and he and my mom went out a couple times. I don't want to offend him, but I'm kind of glad he went missing. I don't think my parents would have gotten married then. What's your story?"

"Let's just say my best friends left me behind, and nobody knows I exist."

"Are you new?"

"Yeah, actually. I've been here before, but not for a long time."

"You can room with me tonight, then we can talk to Mrs. Dunbar about getting you a room."

"Mrs. Dunbar? Who's she?"

"She's the principal. Hey, you sure you used to come here?"

"It was a long time ago." _Try twenty-five years._ "Anyway, thanks a lot." So, I slept in his room that night. The next morning, he led me to the principal's office. Inside, a professional-looking woman sat at the desk. She had black hair and her hair was pulled back in a headband.

I sat down in one of the two chairs set up. "Hello, what can I do for you?" Her voice was a bit snobbish.

Before I could answer, a knock interrupted me. "Hold on, please," she asked me, then turned her attention to the visitor, "What!"

The door opened and in walked the secretary, a man probably in his late thirties. His hair was blond, but I could pick up traces of purple in it. _Odd?_ He walked in, without turning in my direction, and whispered to Sissy. _That's right! Mrs. Dunbar is Sissy!_

"I don't care, Della Robbia! I want those packages in here by tomorrow afternoon, you here that?"

Odd shrank back, and replied, "Yes, I do." He strutted out the room.

"And pick up your feet!" Sissy turned back to me. "Okay, now where were we?"

I explained my need of a new dorm, and she gladly gave me the necessary information. I looked at the sheet she passed me. I was supposed to room with a 'Keith D.' whoever that was. My schedule told me that Math was my first class, so I headed that way. I still remembered where classes were and things like that, but I felt more and more like a lost puppy. Everybody I knew in this school was old and had a job. I had no friends my age... Not anymore.

Instead of Mrs. Mayer, I had Mr. Pichon, or Herve. In History, instead of Mr. Lemur, I had a new teacher named Mr. Plath. My day wore away like that, until Chemistry came around. Instead of Ms. Hertz, I had Mrs. Belpois, or Aelita! She asked me to introduce myself to the entire class. "I'm Ulrich Stern."

At the sound of my name, she glanced back at me as she tried her best to remember the forgotten. "Thank you, you can sit down now," she said with a frown. During the rest of the class hour, she sat there, with scrunched eyebrows.

To my left, the boy that helped me this morning and last night sat hunched over his work. I leaned closer to him. "Hey, so you know a Keith D.?"

"I'm Keith, why?"

"Looks like I'm your new roommate."

"Cool." He acted a lot cooler than I had when I first figured out that Odd was rooming with me. I had immediately set ground rules when we first met, and then I tried to avoid him until night came around. Odd didn't seem to mind, anyhow. He probably thought I was just a tough nut to crack, which I am, and that he'd get to me eventually, which he did. I'm glad he did, because we had the best friendship afterward. He was my best friend; without him I—

"Ulrich Stern!" I glanced at Mrs. Belpois. She stood from her desk and walked to me, but she wasn't angry. She looked me hard in the eye. I could see her eyes watering up. _She remembered!_

"Is something wrong, ma'am?" I asked, noticing everyone else's confused stares.

"Huh? Oh, no. I'm sorry, please continue your assignment. That goes for everyone," she ordered. When she walked back to her desk, she stole one last glance at me.

I stayed behind when class was dismissed. "Hi, Aelita."

"I can't believe it, Ulrich, what happened?"

"I can't understand much of anything Jeremie says, so ask him."

"Jeremie knows?" I nodded. She ran up to me and hugged me, and I returned it. Though she was one of my best friends, it felt more like hugging my teacher. _How ironic that she actually turned out to be my teacher._

Two down, two to go. "So, you're attending Kadic… again?" she laughed.

"Yeah, Jeremie helped me escape Xana's clutches, so now I've got to finish school. See you, Aelita… I mean, Mrs. Belpois. Say hi to Jeremie for me." I ran out, feeling a little better that Aelita now remembered me, but I still needed to find Yumi and somehow get to Odd. He looked busy last time I saw him. I felt sorry that he ended up working for Sissy.

Outside, Keith called me over, "Ulrich, over here!" I saw a whole group of kids standing behind him. I approached them. "Ulrich, I want you to meet my friends. This is Skye, my older sister."

She waved at me. Skye had long blond hair cut into layers. She wore a pink crop top under a purple mini vest. She wore a short purple skirt and a lighter shaded pair of bellbottoms. She looked too familiar to be a coincidence.

"This is her friend, John." I looked at John. He had blond hair and he wore a blue T-shirt. Also, he wore khaki pants.

"This is his younger brother, Micah." Micah had thick reddish hair; actually, it looked almost pink. He had wire-framed glasses and wore a long-sleeved shirt and pants that matched his unique hair color perfectly.

"And this is my twin sister, Naomi." Naomi looked exactly like Keith, except her raven-colored hair was much longer. She wore a black shirt and black pants.

"Guys, this is Ulrich Stern, my new roommate," he introduced me to his friends. They accepted me into their group right away.

"When did Sissy Delmas become principal?" I asked.

"Who?"

"Oh, I mean Elizabeth Dunbar. When did she become the principal?"

"Right after she married Mr. Dunbar, I think. He's a construction worker," Skye answered.

"Mr. Dunbar," I repeated in thought. "You mean, William?"

"I don't know his first name. Why did you suddenly become so interested?" Keith asked.

"Never mind," I mumbled. _I just wanted to know. So shoot me!_ My entire life passed without me, and now I have to live with the sons or daughters of everyone I knew. I wouldn't be surprised if I met one of Jeremie and Aelita's kids.

"What's your next class after lunch, Ulrich?"

"Uh, Physics," I answered, looking at my schedule.

"Us too," Micah and Naomi replied at once. They smiled at each other.

"Anyway, it's lunch time now. Let's go eat!" We all began strolling toward the lunchroom.

"Hold on, Naomi. Remember that diet we talked about?" Skye mentioned.

"What diet? There is no such thing as a diet for the always-hungry-Naomi." I laughed; it's been a long time since I had any reason to do that.

"Naomi's only enemy is anyone who stands in between her and her food," John explained.

"Better believe it. Anyway, Keith and his feet have got it worse."

"What's wrong with my feet?"

"Don't tell me that you haven't noticed how badly your feet smell. Every time you take off your shoes, Skye and I have to run for cover."

"That's why Mom makes you take off your shoes in your room with the doors locked," Skye laughed.

"Man, my role as a super stud is at stake. No girl is going to want to go out with… with a—"

"—A walking pool of toxic waste," John finished. I couldn't help but hysterically laugh at the remark.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"It's hard to talk when you're holding your nose, good buddy," Micah answered, chuckling.

"I thought you were joking…" Keith held his head.

Skye put an arm around her brother, "Don't worry, I'm sure modern medicine has found some kind of cure."

"Well, there's amputation." I laughed with everyone else at John's joke. I remembered the feeling of having friends… of being part of a group, where everyone accepts you. Keith grumbled the rest of the way to the lunchroom. When I grabbed my tray of mashed potatoes and gravy, I sat in between Keith and Micah. Skye sat in front of me, in between John and Naomi.

"So, Ulrich, where are you from?" Skye asked.

"Uh… America." _Why did they want to know about me?_ "I moved here last week."

"Oh, where in America? It's a big country, you know."

"New York…"

"Wow, have you seen the Liberty Statue?" Naomi asked.

"Yeah, I mean no… You know what? Enough about me; how about you, John?"

"What about me?"

"Who are your parents?"

"My dad works with a bunch of scientists, and my mom's the Chemistry teacher, Mrs. Belpois."

"Mrs. Belpois? Aelita Belpois? She's your mom?"

He was shaken by my sudden outburst. "…Yeah…"

I had just befriended my friends' sons John and Micah. I looked closer at the two, noticing the resemblances to both Aelita and Jeremie. John was almost a striking image of Jeremie except he didn't have glasses. Micah had Jeremie's eyes, but the rest took after Aelita.

I sat back, forgetting my mashed potatoes. I slid my tray to Naomi who gobbled it down hungrily. "Is everything okay, Ulrich?"

I glanced at Skye. "Yeah, don't worry about it."

Keith broke the five-second silence; "I'm having a little party at my house, Sunday. It's just for my closest friends, you guys."

"Ooh, is Mom making those fudge brownies, again?" Naomi asked. After Keith nodded, she held her stomach; "Yum!"

"You have to admit, your mom makes the best brownies I've ever tasted. You can count me in," John said.

"I think everyone wants to come," Micah agreed. "What about you, Ulrich? Are you coming to the party?"

"A party, huh? Where is this party?" a voice asked behind me. I turned to see a striking image of Sissy.

"Lovely, mind your own business."

"Why should I? Are you going to tell your daddy?" she mocked. "Remember, Skye, my mom's in charge."

"Just because you're a Dunbar doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

"No, but I'm real close."

"What, are you lonely, Lovely? You have to pry into other people's business just to find friends? I feel so sorry for you," I replied sarcastically.

"Oh, and who are you?" her voice softened. "You know, if you give me the information I need about the party, then maybe I'll let you be my date."

_Like mother, like daughter._ "No, I'd rather go with your mom than go with you."

Everyone began laughing except for her. "Well, don't we have a smart mouth."

"You and who else?" I shot back. That only made everyone laugh harder.

She grunted. "That smart remark just lost you the chance to go out with me."

I exaggerated a sigh. "I've been saved!"

She stomped off. Once Skye calmed down she asked, "You seem to have a lot of experience with people like her. Did you know someone like her back home?"

"Yeah. Her name was Sissy. Almost every guy flipped over her."

"Same with Lovely. It's like no guy can resist her charm," Keith added.

"Speak for yourself," John said.

Naomi asked, still stuffing her mouth, "Did you like this Sissy?"

"Are you kidding? She's the one flipped over me. She once stole my diary, and blackmailed me into dating her. If anything, I should be angry with her."

"But you're not. Do you miss her?" Skye asked.

"…That can happen when you're this far from home," I defended.

"Don't worry. Maybe you'll be able to visit your friends in New York someday." _I don't think time is something you can travel back to._

"Wait; she stole your diary? I would have been furious," Micah said.

"I was."

"How did you get it back?"

"One of my friends… she blackmailed Sissy into giving me my diary back."

"She must have been a real good friend… the one who helped you get your diary back."

"Yeah…"

John asked, "Did you forgive Sissy?"

I thought about all the questions I had just answered without caution. I'm lucky I haven't given myself up yet. "…You know, I think I'll be at that party. Is my invitation still open?"

"Yeah," Micah answered.

"Just meet us at the soda machine Sunday morning."

* * *

For those readers that recognized it, I took one scene from a Code Lyoko episode and added it into this story. Just some info there before I say "Please R&R." 

Smiles!!


	4. Meeting Odd

Finally, chapter 4 up! Sorry for the long wait, but school's been so harsh on me lately _and_ I'm convinced that the month of April is out to get me. Oh well, near the end of this chap I included a couple scenes from the episodes _Xana Attacks _Parts 1 & 2 as Ulrich catches flashbacks.

I wrote this fic a while ago and decided to post it up. I'm accepting reviews that include opinions and/or suggestions.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko, though I do own my five OC's: Micah, John, Naomi, Skye, and Keith.

**CHAPTER 4**

I sat in Math the next day, listening to Herve continue his long lecture about Probability and Odds. "What is the definition of probability?" he began.

Micah answered, "Probability is a ratio of the number of ways a certain event can occur to the number of total possible outcomes."

"Exactly, and what is the definition of odds?"

Herve called on a kid with a red shirt while I sat and daydreamed. Odds… I thought about Odd, my best friend twenty-five years ago. He probably had his own family: a wife, kids, a dog. _Kiwi!_ What happened to Kiwi? I know he's dead by now, but where's his body buried, and did Odd get a new dog?

What about Yumi? How am I going to find Yumi? So far, there's been no trace of her, and I don't know how to find her. Well, I could ask Aelita how she's doing.

"_Wait, I've seen this movie! Once you ask her, she'll keep quiet because she doesn't want to tell you any bad news."_ I could almost hear Odd making another one of his stupid jokes.

"_I don't remember any movies with a plot like that." _I would answer back.

"_I know, but they should make one."_

I shook my head at the thought. "Stern!" Herve woke me from my daydream. "Could you please tell the class the answer to problem seven?"

I looked at the sheet of paper he passed out to everyone in the classroom. " One-half?"

"Correct, though I'd pay attention next time." I learned probability and odds twenty-five years ago. This was all just a review to me. "Now, who knows the answer to problem eight?"

I looked at the sheet of paper. "Find the probability of rolling a six on a die," it said. I knew the answer was one-sixth, but I hated raising my hand in class. That just shows you how much I needed to listen.

* * *

"Remember the definitions to gene, heredity, alleles, phenotype, genotype, dominant, and recessive for a vocabulary quiz Monday. You're dismissed." 

As the class filed out, I decided to hang back. "Hey, Aelita."

"How are you doing, Ulrich?" she asked while searching through the stack of papers on her desk.

"Aelita, I was wondering, do you know how I can reach Yumi?"

Aelita glanced at me and quickly turned away, "I… haven't spoken to her in quite a while, Ulrich."

"But, you've talked to her. Can you tell me where I can find her?"

"I can't help you, Ulrich," she brushed me away.

"Please, Aelita. You know how important this is to me. Please, this is the same Ulrich Stern that protected you on Lyoko more than twenty-five years ago."

"This isn't the same Aelita Hopper you protected from the Scyphizoa, Ulrich. It's Mrs. Belpois, now. I can't help you! Please leave before you are late for your next class."

"But I have lunch next."

"Then you wouldn't want to disappoint Odd and be late for the meatballs they're serving today. Now would you?" Aelita stood up and opened her door. I reluctantly stepped out of her classroom. Aelita never acted this way twenty-five years ago, but she didn't have a family and a job back then either. _Why doesn't she want to tell me about Yumi?_ The joke I heard in my head was giving me a sick feeling in my stomach. What if it was bad news?_ I need to talk to Odd,_ I concluded.

I reached Odd's office during lunch. He was writing with a pen, and… is that a pair of reading glasses I see? Anyway, he didn't raise his head when I walked in and stood in front of his desk. I cleared my throat as soon as the phone rang. He held up his finger and answered, without looking in my direction.

"You've reached the Kadic Junior High main office, how may I assist you?" he spoke into the receiver in that robotic tone every secretary seems to have when answering a call. He paused, listening to the caller speak. "Please hold, sir."

He stood from his desk and walked around (without even a glance in my direction) and knocked on Sissy's door. "What!" she screamed exactly the same way she had the first time.

"Your father is on line two." Odd sat back down and continued his previous work, writing on papers. "Mrs. Dunbar is busy right now. Come back later." Still no glances.

"I'm not here to talk to her."

"Then why are you here?" If he could just glance at me… if he could get even a quick look at me, I'm sure he'd remember right away.

"I'm… You…" none of my words were forming correctly, so I grunted.

"Look, you're wasting much needed time, kid. If you're not here to speak to Mrs. Dunbar, then please head back to class." He pointed his finger toward the door. _Calm down, Ulrich. Working for Sissy turned him into a robot,_ I assured myself. The whole time, he didn't even move his eyes in my direction.

I left, thinking about how much of an alien he was compared to the old Odd.

I remember when we first met: _"Uh, are you Ulrich Stern?" Odd asked me before Chemistry class started._

"_That depends; who wants to know?" I answered, looking the other way._

_He sat beside me, "Odd Della Robbia, his brand new roommate."_

"_What?" I asked in disbelief._

"_I'm new at the Academy, and the principal told me to move in with you."_

"_Uh, latch on to me sounds more like it."_

"_Relax, I'm totally cool. Trust me, you'll see you won't even know I'm there."_

"_I sure hope so. Look, we don't exactly go way back, so just for now, let's take things nice and slow, okay?"_

"_Okay, nice and slow;" he held up his hands in surrender._

He didn't even flinch the entire time I spent brushing him off. There was the first time he told a joke to me: _Odd was yakking on and on about some joke. I didn't begin listening until he had finished it. "…And the waiter says, 'I don't have frog's legs, that's just the way I walk.'" He laughed hysterically afterward. "You get it?"_

"_No, but what I am beginning to get is that you're determined not to give me a break—"_

"_We're going to have to get to know each other, and you'll see by the end of the day, you won't be able to do without me." The entire time, his goofy smile never faded._

Odd was true to his word. Late that night, he saved my life from Xana, and he made sure I remembered it._ "See? I told you that by the end of the day, you wouldn't be able to do without me."_

…And the time I first met Kiwi! This first impression was the worst: _I walked into my dorm after my martial arts class ended. I found all my belongings thrown about the room. "Huh? What is with this mess?" I asked Odd, who was sitting on his bed. I noticed a dog rolling all over my bed. "Where did that mutt come from?"_

"_That's Kiwi, my dog. He just had a little fit, you understand. The poor thing's not used to being cooped up."_

"_I mean look at this!" I waved my hands around. "My CDs, my clothes, he's trashed everything, and… and he…" I screamed in disgust once I saw what Kiwi had done. "Did you see what he did in my bed?" I screamed more than asked._

_Odd walked closer, then shuddered. "Well sorry, but I couldn't take him out with everyone around. There are no dogs allowed at Kadic."_

"_No kidding! I think the principal's going to be interested in hearing about this," I grinned mischievously and slammed the door shut._

_I leaned against the door to hear him reassuring his dog; "That's okay, Kiwi. My little diggity-dog," he cooed. No flinch, not even a break or worried tone in his voice._

All that happened the same day, so I've had a lot more experiences with Odd's foolishness, but none stood out like those did. As I slumped farther and farther away from his office, I realized that not only was I no where near being closer to finding Yumi, and that Odd had officially been transformed into a robot, but I had missed lunch.

* * *

Big transformation since Ulrich had last seen Odd, huh? Anyway, it won't take me so long to update the next chap. Expect the next chapter on Monday. 

Next Chapter: Ulrich heads off to Keith's house, meets an unexpected friend, and finds the answer to a shocking secret.


	5. The Truth

Chapter 5 up! Sorry I posted it later than Monday, but this had been a really busy week. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Ulrich visits Keith's house to join his band as the new keyboard player, and meets Keith's parents.

I wrote this fic a while ago and posted it up for you readers. After I finish posting up the remaining chapters, I'll think about rewriting this fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko or Ulrich.

Enjoy!

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* * *

**

**CHAPTER 5**

"Ulrich, we missed you at lunch. What happened?" Naomi asked as the rest of her friends exited the lunchroom.

"Nothing…" I grumbled; I wasn't in the mood for conversation. It was times like this that I wish I had never left the desert.

"You sure?" Keith asked. "I had something to ask you, but maybe when you're feeling better if you want."

"Never mind. What did you want to ask me?"

"You wouldn't happen to know how to play the keyboard, would you?"

"Well, yeah I do. My best friend used to have a band he called the Pop Rock Progressives. I played keyboard."

"Cool, because I'm starting a band myself, and I need someone who can play the keyboard. You want to?"

I shrugged, "Why not?" The first song the Pop Rock Progressives performed was a song called Mystery Girl. Jeremie really enjoyed listening to us. I could still hear his applause; _"Your band is super-nuclear! You're going to make this town explode!"_

"I'll meet you at the big oak after our last class." The big oak… the tree I used to always meet my friends at… with the bench underneath… the bench my friends and I always sat on.

After Physics, I walked to the tree and sat on that bench. It was badly worn and a little wobbly, but this is the same bench Yumi cried on when her parents almost divorced. This was the same bench Odd and I sat on when Jeremie gave us our first Lyoko mission. This was the same bench we always met at to talk about Lyoko, and now, twenty-five years later, this bench is still a meeting spot for clubs.

"Thanks a lot, Ulrich. We owe you one," Keith spoke. I turned to find him and his sisters standing behind me. I stood and followed them out of school campus.

"So who plays what?"

"I play the drums, Skye plays the electric guitar, Naomi sings, and you play the keyboard. How different is it from your friend's rock band?"

"Well, not that different. The only difference I see is that we had a trombone player."

"Huh? But, I thought it was a rock band, not a military brass band."

"The trombone actually helped our band."

"Really, maybe we should get a trombone player, Keith," Skye taunted.

"Never again!"

"What? What happened?"

"Nothing, Keith's just had a bad experience with brass instruments," Naomi explained.

We approached a familiar house and entered. It was your average home, set up to feel comfortable inside. "Mom, we're home! My friend and I are going to be in the music room!" Keith called.

"Okay, have fun," she called back.

In the living room, I saw a large stain on the carpet. "What's that?"

"That's when my mom was pregnant with me and Naomi. She dropped her coffee as soon as she was sure that we were coming," Keith answered proudly.

We ran up a flight of stairs, through a doorway at the end of the hallway, and into a room with a large drum set, an electric guitar and stand, and a microphone. There were large speakers sitting in two corners of the relatively large room and still room for a five-adult audience. Keith reached into a closet and pulled out a keyboard for me to use. While he set that up for me, I noticed Skye and Naomi setting up their equipment. Skye strummed each note and adjusted the pitches when needed. Naomi set up her microphone and checked the speakers, turning them on and adjusting the volume.

I approached the keyboard I was to use. It looked exactly like the one I used in the Pop Rock Progressives. I pushed a key down and listened to a familiar sound I hadn't heard in a long time. I sat back and downloaded all my keyboarding experiences, remembering the feeling of the keys under my nimble fingers. I played a small section from Mystery Girl to make sure I hadn't gotten rusty in those wasted twenty-five years. Something strange happened, though. One key wouldn't produce any sound. I rapidly pressed down the stubborn A# and glanced at Keith.

"We've never been able to get that key to work. Dad says it's an old keyboard and stopped working a long time ago."

My old keyboard did the same thing, but I was able to fix it by pressing the B and the F# at the same time. Don't ask me why because I don't know, but I do know that when I repeated the same process, this keyboard began to function perfectly.

I looked underneath the keyboard, searching for some writing. Off to the side, I saw the words 'Pop Rock Progressives' written in my handwriting! It was smudged slightly, but I had found my old keyboard!

I started playing again, this time hearing the A# coming out in smooth, long notes. "It works!" Naomi laughed. "I guess you're a natural with keyboards."

"I guess…"

"Okay. Ulrich, we're going to start playing, and you try to pick up the notes," Keith said. He slapped his drumsticks together four times and the band began their song. They did excellent, though I can't begin to describe how similar the style was to the songs Odd wrote.

Picking up the notes was easy. I just pictured the Pop Rock Progressives in the place of this band and remembered the songs we played. I used the same style of playing and a lot of the same notes and rhythms. Pretty soon, I had the entire song figured out. When we slowed down our tempo tremendously, I prepared for an ending, but I remembered the songs I played twenty-five years ago. Odd would trick the audience by doing the exact same thing, and then he would repeat the chorus two more times before he closed the song.

Keith's band jumped from an ending to the chorus, just like Odd used to do, and I didn't miss it. When the song did end, Skye said, "Wow, it's like you were expecting that."

"I kind of was. My friend did the same thing in his band."

"Looks like you chose the right guy for the job, Keith," Naomi complimented.

They played two other songs the same way; I had to slowly pick up the notes. Finally, after the third song, we decided to take a quick break. "If you want I could ask my mom to make us those brownies. You could try them before the party, tomorrow."

"Sure. After what Naomi and John said about them, my mouth is beginning to water," I laughed.

After he left the room, I played my parts on the three songs, smoothing out any problems. Skye and Naomi watched me carefully. "You're real talented, Ulrich."

"I guess that's why my friend chose me to play in his band."

"Why don't we go over Another World, again?" Skye suggested, referring to the second song we played.

"Okay;" but before we could start, Keith ran in with a tray of brownies.

"We're in luck! Mom had already made some for us. Dig in." Skye, Naomi, and Keith each grabbed one. I placed my hand on one brownie, and picked it up. Its sweet aroma reached my nose and I took in as much as I could in one breath.

"Well, don't just sniff it. Take a bite," Naomi said. I gripped a piece with my teeth and tore it off. As I chewed, sweet chocolate covered my taste buds. I couldn't resist the temptation to finish the three brownies left over. "Those evaporated quickly. I'll ask Mom to make some more."

"No thanks. I've had my share," I said, licking my lips.

"Not for you," she laughed. "It's for the rest of us." She grabbed the tray and left the room.

"So, where did we leave off?" Keith asked after Naomi returned.

"We were going to play Another World, again," I answered.

"No, it's still our break time. Let's talk," Skye suggested.

"What does your mom do, then?"

"Mom doesn't have a job. She's an old-fashioned house-wife."

"Still, she wishes she could become a singer."

"Why doesn't she?"

"Something keeps holding her back."

"Does she get stage fright?"

"Not a chance. It's something else. Either Dad discourages her, or something from her past is."

"Any clue what it might be?"

"None of us do," Naomi replied.

"What about your dad? Does he wish he had a different job than the one he has now?"

"Yeah, he wishes he could travel the world, selling his drawings. My dad is an artist. Let me show you," Keith pulled out a notebook from the closet. He flipped a couple pages before stopping at one, and turned it around so I could see it. The drawing was detailed to each strand of hair and shadowed to look like a photograph. The Keith, Naomi, and Skye in the drawing looked younger than the ones standing in front of me now. In fact, they looked like toddlers. Skye was probably five years old, and Keith and Naomi were probably three.

"Wow…" I turned the page and found a drawing of a French Poodle.

"That's my dog, Gigi," Skye said. Gigi at that moment entered the room, tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth. "Hey, Gigi, we were just talking about you."

Gigi noticed my presence and cautiously sniffed my shoe. I held out my hand and Gigi sniffed that as well, followed by a friendly lick. I pet her head and scratched behind her ears, while I stared at the drawing. The details were exact. "Your dad could have made a fortune selling drawings. Did something hold him back too?"

"Yeah, I think it's the same thing that's holding Mom back." I gave Skye the notebook and she left the room. "I'm going to put this in Dad's room."

Naomi followed close behind, leaving me with Keith and Gigi. "Mom's making noodles tonight. You want to stay for dinner?"

"Noodles? Do we have to use chopsticks?"

Keith laughed, "Not if you don't want to. Dad never could get used to using them, so we always have forks and spoons."

"Here's that second batch of brownies you asked for," Keith's mom called from down the hallway. I could hear her approaching. Maybe I would take one more, I don't think Naomi would mind. I smiled at myself. I had made new friends and made a new life for myself here. My new friends accepted me for who I was, but then again, I've never told them my biggest secret, so how would I know?

The Japanese woman appeared in the doorway and dropped her tray. Her delicious brownies scattered and crumbled. She wasn't a klutz or anything, but she saw something that almost caused her to faint: me. "Ulrich!"

I focused on her face and my smile dropped like her brownies did. There was no hope of keeping it from crumbling into pieces. "Yumi?"

"You know my mom?" Keith asked.

"Mom? Then who's your… dad?" I asked, afraid to know. Before Keith could say anything, I heard footsteps coming from down the hallway.

"What happened, honey? I heard your sweet brownies drop onto the floor like—" he cut himself off when he saw me. I could tell Yumi didn't want me to figure out whom she ended up marrying, and as soon as I found out, I wished I could forget. I froze as he did when we focused on each other's faces.

"Ulrich?" he realized.

_What? _I screamed in my head as I saw Odd's regrettable face.

Ooohhh... conflict! Who would believe that Odd and Yumi would end up together? I would! Especially, since Ulrich was trapped in Lyoko for all those years!

Expect the next chappie this Saturday. Chapter 6 Summary: Ulrich talks to Odd and Yumi and later decides to tell Keith the "truth".


	6. Unfair!

The next chapter, yay! I am soooo sorry that I waited longer than I wanted to before updating. Like the week before, myweekend was nuts! Anyway, some problems surface in this fic against Ulrich and he feels like heading back to his "desert home" because there, he had no worries or troubles. Anyway, hope you enjoy another addition to My Desert Home!

I wrote this fic a while ago and decided to post it up for my favorite readers ; )

I don't own Ulrich or Lyoko, not even the show itself...sob...but we all can't have everything, can we?

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* * *

CHAPTER 6**

My body refused to move, blink, breath. It sat on a long sofa, all limbs were stiff, and my vocal cords were weak, too weak to allow any sound to escape my gaped mouth. Basically, I turned stone. In front of me, sat my two best friends. During the twenty-five years I was in Xana's clutches, Odd and Yumi married and had three kids.

Keith was more than confused when he found out that I knew his parents, but I haven't told him how I know them… yet. Odd and Yumi asked the kids to stay in the music room while I talk to them… or they talked to me. I couldn't talk period.

"Ulrich, are you okay?" Yumi asked. _Am I okay? My best friend married the love of my life. You tell me if I'm okay!_

"Fine…" my voice squeaked.

"Ulrich, we thought we'd never see you again," Odd said.

"But we're glad you've made it back," Yumi finished. She walked up to me and hugged me, but I didn't return it. I was a living statue of stone, and not even the Yumi's gentle touch could break the spell of stone upon me.

"So, how've you been, good buddy?" Odd asked. When I didn't answer, he added, "Ulrich, you know that you disappeared from Earth. Yumi and I needed each other to get over losing you."

"So I'm the reason this timeline has been ruined, is that it?" I finally screamed.

"You're not the reason Odd and I fell in love. You weren't here for twenty-five years! That left Odd and me—"

"So I'm a distraction, huh?"

"You're nothing like that. Ulrich, you've got to understand that you weren't here to spend any time with me. Odd and I took your disappearance really hard."

"But... I thought Xana erased me from everyone's memory. That's what happened for Jeremie and Aelita."

"Xana's not perfect, thank goodness. He couldn't have possibly gotten to _everyone's_ memory."

"Xana's been pretty unpredictable lately… or he was unpredictable then."

"I know..." I focused my blurring eyesight on Yumi, the love of my life. She was the only one that made me feel absolutely comfortable with myself. Whenever I stood beside her, I wasn't Ulrich: The Introvert, or Ulrich: The Moody, The Sulker, or The Result of Two Disagreeable Parents. I was Ulrich: The Complete, even though I wouldn't...couldn't show it. Yumi was all these things, and Xana managed to take her away from me.

Just then, Keith walked in, holding the notebook. He was turned to a page near the end of the book. "Dad, why do you have a drawing of Ulrich? It's dated back to ten years ago." I could see a drawing of me. I was sitting on my dorm bed, leaning against the wall. Behind me was that Pencak Silat poster I owned many years ago.

"Keith, your mom and I asked you to stay in the music room until we're done talking with Ulrich."

"But how did you know what Ulrich would look like now? H…How do you know Ulrich at all?"

For a minute no one spoke, until I stood up and grabbed his arm. "I'll tell him," I said, and led him out of the room.

"U-Ulrich, I don't think..." Yumi started, but I never let her finish. Keith and I had already climbed up the stairs and entered Keith's bedroom by the time she was cut off by Odd, saying that Keith should know.

My best friend's son sat on his own bed and crossed his leg over the other. I remained standing. I couldn't believe that it took me this long to notice the resemblances between Yumi and Odd's kids. Keith and Naomi wore all-black outfits like Yumi always did as a kid, and they both had the exact same raven hair Yumi possessed. …And Skye. She was a female version of her father. She had his blond hair, his goofy smile, and his optimistic attitude. Her clothes were colored exactly the same as his. Like I described before, she wore a bright pink crop top underneath a purple mini vest. She wore a dark purple mini skirt over a much lighter pair of purple bellbottoms, and she wore gold colored shoes, matching her hair. _How could I have missed something so obvious?_

"How do you know my parents?" he asked me once he settled down, dropping the notebook onto his pillow. I saw the picture Odd drew of me ten years ago. To the side was his signature 'Della Robbia' written in plain ink. Underneath was the date 'January 23, 2019'.

I began my dreaded explanation by reminding him of the night we first met. "Remember when you told me that your mom cries a lot?" After he nodded, I continued, "You said that she misses her friend that disappeared many years ago. I'm that friend."

"What? But that's impossible… how can you…?" He didn't finish any of his statements, but I still understood what he was asking.

"I guess I need to start from the beginning. John and Micah's dad, Jeremie, and I went to school together. We were a little less than acquaintances, anyway he found a secret lab when he went searching for spare parts to build his miniature robots. The secret lab held a super computer that ran a virtual world called Lyoko. That's how he found Aelita. We thought she was an A.I. or computer program, but she was just a girl trapped on Lyoko. She spent ten years on Lyoko without any memories of her past. Xana, a computer virus, stole her memory. Now, I'm not too sure of what else Jeremie figured out about Aelita and her past because I was trapped on Lyoko not long after." I explained how we found a way to materialize Aelita, and how the Scyphizoa stole my memory at the same time Xana launched a Return trip. I continued onto how Jeremie found me twenty-five years later and helped me escape the super computer. "That's the truth. Now you know the big secret."

As I expected, Keith took a few moments to contemplate everything I told him. "You know, you actually had me there for a moment. I actually believed you at first."

"It's all true, Keith."

"Stop it, Ulrich. It was funny at first, but not anymore."

"You want some proof? I can give you proof… actually, you should ask your parents for proof."

"What kind of proof can they give me?"

"Do you want to see the factory?"

I stayed for dinner like Keith suggested. The noodles were delicious, but I wasn't in a mood for eating. Keith didn't seem to have an appetite either. For Yumi, I tried to eat with chopsticks, but with nothing but failures I gave up the food altogether. Everyone else ate in silence, even Naomi and Skye who understood the quiet mood.

"You haven't touched your food, Keith. Are you okay?" Yumi asked.

"Please tell me what Ulrich said was a joke," he said when she woke him from his daydream.

Yumi hushed herself, refusing to answer his question.

"Ulrich mentioned a factory, and that there would be proof there," he insisted. He set his pair of chopsticks on the table. "Take me to it. I want proof."

"…Later," Odd answered.

Both Skye and Naomi stared in confusion. "What about finding proof in a factory?" Naomi asked.

"Mom, what did you and Dad need to talk to Ulrich for?" Skye asked.

"I don't think I should tell you girls."

"But Keith gets to know? I—"

"That's cause I asked them about the picture when I found it!"

"Don't shout at the table," Odd ordered.

Naomi ignored him, "That's not one bit fair!"

"Quiet down kids."

"I demand to know what you told him, Ulrich!"

"No! Ulrich, don't say a word to Skye! You don't have to answer to either of them!"

"That's not fair!" Naomi shouted even louder.

"You tell me what's fair!" My voice broke the argument like a rock could shatter a window. "I'm a thirty-eight year old trapped in a thirteen year old body. All my friends moved on and got married. Even my best friend married my girlfriend! Now, I'm forced to befriend their kids! What's fair about that, huh?" I shouted.

I stood at the table and stomped out onto the street. In just five seconds I had felt lower than ever. No one can expect me to finish my life like this. I was better off in the desert where I had no memory of my past. The largest problems I had were facing a Blok in battle then, but now…. I headed down the sewers in the forest, finding only one terribly rusted scooter waiting for me. I picked up the scooter and opened it. It was the old scooter Jeremie used back whenever we went to the factory. I stood on it and rolled myself to the factory I visited so many times. Inside, I was planning on going back to Lyoko, and then I would allow myself to get caught by the Scyphizoa. Xana would be glad to take away my memory for good.

I knew my friends would try to stop me, but where are they now? The Della Robbia's are still probably consuming their noodles, and then Yumi will probably make more brownies for them to eat for dessert. _I should have taken one last brownie._

The Belpois's are probably eating their own dinner, then they might enjoy the rest of the evening playing a board game like my family used to do before I was sent to Kadic for the first time. I entered the elevator and sank below the floor. In the computer room, I sat in Jeremie's chair and stared at the holographic map of my home. The entire time I was there, I didn't even think about going into the other sectors. I didn't even know they existed.

A good hour must have passed that way, until I heard the elevator doors open. "Ulrich? You're okay!" Aelita ran up to me and hugged me. Jeremie approached me as well.

"When Yumi and Odd phoned and informed us that you had run away, we drove around the city in search for you." He pulled out his cell phone and spoke into it; "He's okay. We found him."

"Thank goodness!" I heard Yumi sigh.

"I thought you might have done something stupid like try to make it back into Lyoko."

"Please don't scare us like that," Aelita pleaded.

"I do want to go back to Lyoko."

"What? But we just saved you from it. Why do you want to go back?"

_Why not?

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Please R&R. The next chapter should be expected tomorrow. Yeah, I'm feelin' like I should update the next one sooner than usual. _

Chapter 7 Summary: Ulrich decides it's time to show his friends the factory, but will they believe him? And will they kick him out of their group for lying to them? Find out tomorrow.

See you then!


	7. The Factory

I stayed true to my word and updated on Tuesday, but it was 9:39 PM, so it's kinda unlikely that any of you were there to read it as soon as it showed up. Anyway, please enjoy this next chapter. Only two chapters left to post!!

I don't own Code Lyoko.

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**CHAPTER 7**

I sat in the back seat of the black SUV as Jeremie weaved through traffic. I crossed my arms and sat impatiently for the ride to end. A stoplight switched its red light on, delaying my stop at the Academy. I looked out at the other cars waiting for the green light to appear. In one maroon Tahoe, I could make out a family of six. Both parents were sitting in the front seats, three of the kids were sitting in the middle row of seats, and the youngest was sitting in his car seat in the back. Two kids sitting in the middle were concentrating on a Nintendo DS the third girl was holding. Occasionally, they would giggle, but in the end, they all cheered for the girl. She accepted the applause from her family.

She had two brothers, one sister, and two parents. I used to have only my parents in my family, but now I don't even have that. I sighed and pressed myself farther into the seat. Finally, the green light allowed all waiting cars to pass. Aelita would sometimes glance at me, but she would quickly turn back. I watched as the SUV approached the Academy, then as it passed and continued to drive on without stopping.

"Wait, I thought you were dropping me off at Kadic."

"We were, but we've decided to let you spend the night at our house with John and Micah. They only get to visit the house once a week, so it's a big deal for them. They would enjoy having a friend over."

I was relieved that I didn't have to sleep at the Academy. Maybe I would have fun… or maybe not.

When the car pulled into their driveway, I saw both John and Micah running out to greet their parents. "What was the problem, Dad?"

"Yeah, why did you and Mom have to leave so quickly?" They noticed me when I jumped out. Neither of them greeted me, neither of them even waved at me. They both turned and marched into the house without a single word in response.

"Did you upset them or something?" Aelita asked.

I shrugged. "If I did, then I don't know how."

Inside, Aelita set up a place for me to sleep in the guestroom. It was almost midnight, but I still couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned in bed, trying to find a comfortable position, but sat up in failure. I jumped out and walked downstairs. In the living room, I saw Jeremie sitting on the edge of a sofa with his head facing the floor and his body hunched over his coffee. At the sound of my footsteps, his head jerked in my direction.

"I thought you were Micah. He's a sensitive boy. He always hates it when he finds me like this." I sat down across from him, waiting for him to continue. "You know, even before I… remembered, I always knew something was missing. Aelita and I think about how much more successful our lives could be. We're relatively happy, but… you know. We feel limited, but then we remember why we settled with what we had. We did it because of Yumi and Odd. They've got it worse.

"Yumi's always wanted to be a singer. She told us that, but she's stuck inside her house caring for her three kids. The same with Odd. He wants to sell his drawings, but he's too busy working for Sissy. You know what I think? I think the only reason we all turned out like this was because you weren't here. I don't think Yumi really loves Odd the way she loved you, but they did have a good relationship. Before the wedding…"

I listened without interrupting. _The only reason my friends have miserable lives is because I wasn't here,_ I mentally repeated. "Jeremie, you have to do something about this!"

"What?"

"You have to find a way to send me back so that none of this ends up happening."

"B—"

"Jeremie, please! You said yourself that if I was here, everyone would be happier."

"I know what I said, Ulrich, but it's not possible. I can't do it. Plus, it's messing with fire! _If_ I find a way to send you back, there's no telling how that could affect time and space! No!"

I was infuriated. "I'm tired of you and everyone else treating me like a kid! Jeremie, I'm older than you are by two months! I don't get a say in anything because I_ look_ thirteen, right?" I stomped up the stairs. _This was all Xana's fault!_

At breakfast, John and Micah refused to speak to me. They just turned their heads a different direction, and at Kadic, Skye and Naomi did the same thing, though Keith looked at me with sympathy. _What's going on?_

"Aelita, I think your kids are mad at me," I asked Aelita when Chemistry ended.

"Why is that?"

"I don't know. They won't speak to me, and I think Skye and Naomi are in on it too."

"Did you say anything that might upset them?"

"I… I told Keith about Lyoko, but he said he didn't believe me."

"Lyoko? Ulrich, why?"

"He wanted to know."

"Well, he might have told all his other friends."

"I don't think they have any reason to be mad at me though."

"You _did_ lie when you first met them, right? You never know..."

I entered the lunchroom. Keith, Skye, Naomi, John, and Micah were all sitting at the same table as yesterday. I grabbed my tray and sat down. No one spoke to me. Everyone except for Keith glared at me.

"Alright, what's the problem?"

"You think you're real funny, don't you?" Naomi said.

"What?"

"I don't know if the story you told Keith was true or not, but I do know that you lied to us either way," Micah said.

I sighed. "I had to."

"Why? If you had told the truth from the beginning, we would've still accepted you," Skye said.

"How do you know? A kid can't just go around saying he went to school with everyone's parents."

"That means you lied about living in America, didn't you?" Naomi muttered, disappointment all-too-clear in her face.

"Yeah…"

"Wait, you guys actually believe his story?" John questioned. "I think he's lying now."

"It's a tough choice. I'm not sure if he's telling the truth or not," Micah decided.

"What's so hard about it? It's impossible. What do you think, Keith?"

"I think... he's telling the truth…"

"_What?_ You were the one who told me that he was lying in the first place!"

"Let's just say that I… thought it over and changed my mind."

I broke the argument; "I have proof. You want to see?"

John grunted when everyone else nodded. We stood and left the lunchroom. I led them through the forest and down the sewers. I ignored everyone's disgusted expressions and led them down the same path the Lyoko Warriors always took whenever Xana attacked. Finally, we reached the factory.

"That's the factory that holds the supercomputer."

"Our parents used to skip class just to come here?"

"…And me. Besides, you forgot that we saved the world almost everyday in this factory."

"You saved the world from a computer virus called Xana, right?"

"Yeah. To attack Earth, he would activate towers on Lyoko, a virtual world. That's where Aelita spent about tens years of her life."

"My mom lived in this virtual world for ten years?" Micah asked.

"Jeremie found a materialization program to bring her back to Earth." We entered the elevator and stood by for the doors to open again. I could tell John wasn't buying a word I said, but the rest of the group looked convinced. That's a step up, I guess.

In the room Jeremie always sat, the room that held the mainframe of the supercomputer, I sat in the chair, remembering the times I sat here. Each time I sat here meant that Jeremie was either too busy to make it here, he was being attacked by Xana, or I was doing something Jeremie would normally forbid. I remember activating a Return to the Past once by using Jeremie's notes, and the other time Jeremie led me by cell.

"This is where Jeremie always sat. He monitored our battles on Lyoko, warning us when monsters appeared and things like that." Everyone stepped out of the elevator, marveling over the room.

"My dad would sit here?" Micah asked. He ran his hands over the almost-metallic arm rests. "Didn't he ever go into the virtual world?"

"He did once, but fighting on Lyoko wasn't his thing. Besides, he was more of a help sitting in front of this computer." I stepped inside the elevator again. "Come on, there's more."

I didn't anticipate seeing the scanner room because I knew I would remember more of the past Xana took away from me. I would miss the past even more, I knew. "This is the scanner room." The elevator doors opened and I remembered:

_I sat in the middle of the scanner room, flipping a coin. "Heads: Odd comes first, and tails: it's Yumi." I flipped the coin and watched it land. "Heads: Odd." The scanner to my left opened reveling Yumi. "Oh, it's Yumi. I lose."_

_Yumi stepped out of the scanner, glancing at her arms and hands, strangely. She lifted her hair and stared at it, her face showing obvious confusion. "Yumi? Are you okay?"_

_The scanner to my right opened reveling Odd. He jumped out and spoke, "What am I doing over here, huh?" His voice sounded exactly like Yumi's!_

_Yumi spoke next, "Houston, we have a problem." She sounded exactly like Odd!_

I knew that switching bodies with Odd affected Yumi more, but anything that affected Yumi affected me as well. I remembered _that_ more than anything else.

I walked into one scanner and remembered the floating sensation I always felt whenever Jeremie transferred me to Lyoko. "These cabins are scanners."

"What do the scanners do?"

"The scanners are… you have to… I'll quote Jeremie. 'The supercomputer analyzes your molecular structure through these cabins, and then breaks down your atoms before digitalizing them and recreating a digital incarnation in the virtual world.' That's how Jeremie explained it to me."

"And that means what in English?" Keith asked.

John sighed and explained in simpler terms that it means, "You step inside the scanner, you're transported to the virtual world." _He takes after his father all right; he's another Einstein._

"Exactly." I approached the center of the room where a sort of manhole sat. I opened it and explained that the actual supercomputer sat down there. As my friends studied everything, I sat in one scanner, remembering.

Skye sat next to me. "So our parents saved the world on a regular basis, huh? Tell me, were you and my mom… close?"

"Well, I guess it depends on your view of close. I had feelings for Yumi, but I never had the guts to ask her out. Once, I had finally managed to ask her to go to a dance in eighth grade, but I was forced to give it up to do the right thing." She never asked me to clarify and I wasn't planning to.

"You know what I think? If this Xana hadn't trapped you on the virtual world for twenty-five years, I don't think I would exist now."

"What do you mean?"

"You and my mom obviously have feelings for each other. She probably would have married you then, and I wouldn't be here."

"So, are you thanking me for disappearing?"

"No," Keith answered beside me. He was listening to our conversation the whole time.

Naomi spoke next, "Actually, we know that Mom and Dad would both be happier if you were there. We feel sorry that your life was taken from you. We wish there was some way we could help."

Micah said, "John and I would still exist because this doesn't exactly involve our parents, but we feel the same way."

"You Della Robbia's are real brave for saying that. What if he does find a way to get back?" John asked.

Keith answered, "Then at least our parents would be happier."

I couldn't believe it. They actually would give up their lives to get me back just to make their parents happier. I wish my dad and I had that same loving relationship, but the very thought was as likely to happen as a unicorn appearing in the scanner room that very second. I waited, but no unicorn appeared.

"Thanks guys. Jeremie might be able to get me back, but I don't think he wants to do it."

"So that was his important job!" I looked at John. "Dad said he didn't want to be disturbed today. He said that he had an important job he had to complete as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, Ulrich. My dad's on the job. He'll get you back," Micah reassured.

"If anybody can do it, Einstein can," I laughed.

"Is that what you called him?"

"All his friends did. Odd came up with it..." and I reminisced the rest of the day.

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I like how the Belpois and Della Robbia's found out about Ulrich's ruined past. They accepted him back into their group and constantly spent the day reassuring him that his future was getting brighter. Please R&R. 

Chapter 8 Summary: On the day of the party, Xana attacks, leaving Yumi in grave danger. Ulrich decides that the only way to save her is to get Jeremie to set up a "Return to the Past" program. Is is too late to save her?


	8. Xana's Attack

Here's the second to last chappie!! Xana decides to interrupt the party at the Della Robbia's house and Ulrich's called back into Lyoko. How's he gonna react?

I wrote this fic a long time ago, and I've already started making some changes in the earlier chapters. I haven't posted those changes yet, but I've got them saved onto my laptop. It's only a matter of how many reviews I get (hint hint) :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko!!

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CHAPTER 8**

Inside my dorm room, I sat on my bed. This was the same bed I always slept on back then. Odd would always sleep in the other one and… _Stop it, Ulrich! You'll get to go back soon. It's just a matter of time._

Keith watched from Odd's old bed. He knew I was remembering. "I can't imagine what it must be like, to have your entire life taken from you…"

"You have no idea," I mumbled, "and you're not exactly helping right now." I sat up.

"Sorry." I stared at him. "What?" he asked. I watched his eyebrows shoot up innocently when he said that.

"You're just like Odd. An exact copy."

"Like how?"

"First of all, you both have the same foot problem." I scrunched my nose to set my point.

He growled. "Come on! My feet do not smell!"

"Sorry to break it to you, but—"

"No, don't say it! Let's just go to sleep." He pulled his covers over him and faced the wall.

I did the same, then started laughing silently. I turned to find his stomach shaking in a soundless chuckle as well. I sighed. _At least I've got real friends here, if Jeremie fails._ **If…**

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Naomi took another bite out of her pancakes. "So, do you have any idea how to get yourself back?" 

I glanced at her tray, pancakes soaking in syrup. "Yeah right. I'll just activate a Return Trip and all my problems are solved."

Skye's back straightened from its hunched position over a writing assignment she forgot to complete the night before. "Why wouldn't it work?" she asked.

"It's always more complicated than that." I looked at the two empty seats beside Skye and me: Micah's seat beside me, and John's seat beside Skye. Both Belpois had spent the night at their house working on some "late-night project" with their dad.

"You never know unless you ask Mr. Belpois."

I pondered for a moment. All this was like a Xana attack, wasn't it? Return Trips usually travel back to before the Xana attack. So, w_hy wouldn't a Return Trip work?_

"Today's the party, and since it's Sunday, we don't have any classes today," Keith stood up with his tray aqt the same time I did.

"So, we can leave now right?" I asked hopefully. I was dying to see Yumi again. She may be a working mother, but just looking at her could fix my broken heart. Sure, I was still bummed about the 'news' I found out two days ago, but I think I had at least gotten over the shock.

"Yup, but we're not walking this time."

"Yeah, Dad said he wanted to drive us," Naomi said.

"Why?"

"I think he wanted to check on you, Ulrich. He wants to see if you're doing any better."

We walked into the office to find Odd talking to Sissy on the phone. It was more like she was yelling at him. He held the phone far away from his ear. I could hear Sissy screaming, "I don't care, Della Robbia! I want to speak to him_ before_ your break!" I wondered how she didn't snap a vocal cord.

Odd placed the phone back on its receiver. "Uh, Sissy wants to talk to you Ulrich, but I think it would be best if you avoid her as much as possible."

"I didn't need you to tell me that. I avoided her twenty-five years ago, and that's not going to change just because she's my principal now!"

Odd laughed, "Well, I see you're doing better. Are we ready to go, everyone?" As Odd drove us to his house, I told him my idea. "I don't know, Ulrich. It sounds too easy."

"That's what I said... but you never know."

"I guess… You can ask Jeremie when he gets there. He'll be at the house when he finishes his 12:00 shift for the day."

I sighed._ Just like a parent._ At Keith's house, I could tell Yumi was trying her best to act casual, but she wasn't succeeding. She served us her delicious brownies again and again. I couldn't get enough of them, but I forced myself not to eat too much.

Sometimes my friends and I would sit down and talk. The Della Robbia's and I performed for John and Micah. They decided to call their band the Pop Rock Progressives II (what a surprise…), and, as Odd said, Jeremie visited the house.

"Jeremie, I was wondering. Could just a simple Return Trip fix everything?"

Jeremie thought for a moment, "I don't think so. It's too simple. Xana's trickier than that."

"Or maybe he wants us to think it's not that simple when in fact it is. Maybe he's tricking us into thinking it's more complicated than that."

"Why would he do that?"

"He could be planning an attack, Jeremie."

"Or he could just be waiting for us to use a Return Trip to attack. I don't think that's the way to go."

"Whatever... just don't rule it out completely."

"It's a possibility, got it." He gave me a thumbs-up and exited through the door.

I sat on the same couch that supported me when I first fell into shock over my best friends and their 'news'. I held my last brownie in my hand, eyes drifting around the carpet stain on the floor. _What if Xana was planning an attack?_ Xana's more devious than any virus I knew… he's the only computer virus I ever knew. Still, he could have planned this whole thing just to appear at the most unexpected moment. As if on cue, I heard Yumi scream from the kitchen. I ran in only to find shattered debris that was the kitchen wall. My eyes picked up Yumi's hand twitch from underneath the overturned fridge. "Yumi!"

I threw what I could off her. Luckily, the fridge didn't land directly on her, but it had caught the whole left side of her body limbs. I could tell she was in a lot of pain. A long deep cut ran from her forehead to her neck. Her arm was obviously broken, and her leg as well. Dirt flew into the air, making it hard to breathe. She coughed every two seconds, clearing her throat of the thickening dust in the air.

Her eyes flickered. She opened one eye, which much have caused a great deal of pain itself. "Ulrich?" she coughed.

"Yumi, it's okay! I'm here."

"Ulrich, this is Xana's doing. Get…get the kids out of here and… head to the factory! Get Jeremie to send you... Odd and… Aelita to Lyoko... Hurry!"

For a split second, memories of Lyoko and my past with it flooded my mind, reminding me where I had lost everything Xana took from me. He had managed to steal my whole life away just by sending me to that cursed place. There was no way I could go back to that wasteland!

Before her body went limp, Yumi opened both eyes and focused on my face. "I'm sorry…" she said. Her body fell and hit the ground, exhausted, weak, and possibly dead.

"YUMI!" That's all it took to convince me that the only possible way to save Yumi was to march into Lyoko and deactivate Xana's tower!

At that moment, Skye ran in. "Ulrich, the house is alive! I think it's your Xana friend! We need to get Mom, Keith, and Naomi out of here!" She looked closely at the hand I held tightly. "Mom?"

"She says we need to get out of here! The sooner I can deactivate the tower, the sooner we can save her."

I grabbed my mobile and called my best friend. "Odd! Meet me at the factory. It's Xana!" Keith, Skye, and Naomi ran behind me toward the abandoned factory. Odd had called Jeremie and Aelita and they were on their way.

"Ulrich, where's Yumi?" Odd asked when he met up with me.

"She…" my vioce trailed off.

"Ulrich, tell me! Where's my _wife_?" he shouted.

I hesitated once more when Odd said that. His _wife_? Was he trying to hurt me even more? I looked into his eyes, catching how worried his face had become and how much he regretted leaving her. Just that quick glance into his uniquely violet eyes told me all I needed to know. Odd _loved_ Yumi...

"...Xana got to her first... She's at the house... We couldn't move her... The fridge fell on her..." my answers escaped in almost misunderstood mumbles.

"Nooo!" Odd grabbed at his blond hair, gritting his teeth. I could tell he was feeling a lot of pain

"Odd, stay focused," I heard myself shouting. "The sooner the tower's deactivated, the sooner we can launch a Return Trip and save her."

Jeremie and Aelita made it to the factory with Micah. "John's been possessed by Xana!"

"John!" Skye screamed. "He's been possessed?"

"Xana's using John for his own dirty deeds," I explained to Skye, who didn't seem to take the news too well.

Jeremie ordered me into a scanner, so I got ready for another trip to Lyoko. Odd stood in one and Aelita waited in the other. "See you on Lyoko," she muttered.

"Ready?" I heard Jeremie prepare my trip to Lyoko. "Transfer Ulrich, transfer Aelita, transfer Odd." The scanners closed and I felt the sensation of soaring through the skies again. The bright light that appeared blinded me. I closed my eyes as Jeremie finished, "Scanner Ulrich, scanner Aelita, scanner Odd. Virtualization!"

I landed in the desert region, the same land I lived in for those lonely twenty-five years... the same region the Scyphizoa chose to attack me. Xana activated a tower in this sector to mess with my mind, I knew it, but I needed to focus.

Beside me was a tall woman dressed in a pink and green elf outfit: Aelita. To my right was a tall cat: Odd. Their outfits were the same as I remembered, only their height differed. After Jeremie sent us our vehicles, we headed out to find the activated tower. During the long ride, we didn't meet one of Xana's monster, so I started 'remembering' again. The scorching heat, the dry smells, the bright, blinding sights; I was in my home. I started missing the carefree life I used to lead here, but not as much as the happy life with my friends, the Lyoko Warriors. And now, Yumi was probably dead, never to wake up again. _Return Trips can't bring a dead person back to life._

This was all Xana's fault!

With my mind made and purpose found, I led my friends to the tower without the help of Jeremie. The tower seemed to send a kind of signal or... _pulsations. _Aelita used to feel for pulsations on Lyoko to find the tower.

Finally, the activated tower was in sight. Its red glow expressed the hatred I felt for Xana. He ruined my life and now my friends' lives as well. He might have killed Yumi and could've gotten rid of John. I sped my OverBike to max speed, only stopping when Xana's monsters appeared: Four Megatanks, three Mantas, five Krabes, and seven Bloks. I snickered at such a primitive act by Xana.

"Whoa…" I heard Odd compliment. The Ulrich Stern twenty-five years ago would have done the same thing, but the Ulrich Stern I was now had the experience to take on these group of monsters. He wasn't afraid of Xana. He was fighting his worst enemy.

I used my super-sprint to attack without warning. Monster after monster was destroyed with Odd and Aelita behind me. I realized that I hadn't heard Jeremie's voice in a while. "Jeremie?" I paused.

His voice replied, raspy and out of breath. "Guys, hurry," he gasped. "John's here... and he's brought some friends! They've attacked everyone else already!"

At that moment, connections broke with Jeremie. "Jeremie?" Aelita called. "We need to hurry!"

"Well, what do you think we're doing?" Odd asked as he jumped out of the way of an oncoming laser attack.

"Aelita, head for the tower then. Deactivate the tower!"

Before I could continue destroying monsters, something grabbed me. It wrapped its long, blue arms around me, preventing my struggling escape. It turned me around. I looked up at the Scyphizoa as it lifted two of its tentacles to my temples, and a third tentacle to my forehead. The Scyphizoa was stealing my memory!

"No! Not again!" Odd shouted. He jumped up and aimed his paw at the giant jellyfish. He shot laser arrow after laser arrow, hitting the Scyphizoa every time, but it refused to surrender. "Let him go, Xana!"

With my best friend trying to save me, I felt a new strength I never felt before. I struggled to escape but failed. Anger against Xana boiled inside me. If anything, he wasn't going to succeed this time. I mentally fought again and again until finally, I overpowered Xana and his Scyphizoa. The Scyphizoa dropped me and retreated as quickly as possible. Odd was relieved that I managed to escape, but quickly turned back to destroying the Megatank in front of him.

I noticed Aelita exiting the tower. "Did you deactivate the tower?"

She shook her head. "The tower wouldn't let me, but I can't figure out why."

Then it hit me, "Wait, you aren't connected to Xana anymore, you aren't his prisoner, but I am. Hold off the monsters for me."

"Hurry up!"

"Hey, speed is my middle name. Super-sprint!" I zoomed into the tower. I walked to the middle and floated up to a second platform where a blue translucent screen appeared. I remembered what Jeremie told me to do the first time I deactivated a tower. I placed my hand on the screen and watched my name appear. I entered the code and watched the tower deactivate, turning from red to blue. "Tower deactivated."

I cheered, but I knew that we still had to launch a Return to the Past. When I made it back to where I had left Odd and Aelita, I found nothing except for a Megatank. _They must have been devirtualized. _The Megatank opened and fired its elliptical laser, hitting me, and I was sent back to Earth, my real home.

In the scanner room, both Aelita and Odd were unconscious on the ground. I climbed up to the computer room to find all my friends knocked on the ground. Naomi had been shielding Micah when he was attacked. She and Micah looked bad, though they were probably in better shape than Yumi was. _Yumi!_ She might as well be dead; I had no idea how to launch a Return Trip.

Behind the computer, I heard someone shift. Skye and Keith were awake, but neither of them could move. "Ulrich... Did you do it?"

"The tower's been deactivated, but I'm not sure how to launch a Return Trip."

"I do…" a raspy voice replied. I found Jeremie alive but he could barely get up. He approached the computer and typed what he could.

"Are you sure, Skye? This trip might bring me back to before Xana ruined my life."

"Then so be it," she gasped. "You belong there, with your friends… and my mom."

"Yeah," Keith agreed. "You had a life there... You should go back to it."

I smiled. They were the bravest kids I knew. "I won't forget you, but… what if I don't make it back?"

"Then we'll keep searching for a way… after we all get through this."

"Thanks guys." I glanced back at Jeremie who had fainted on the chair. He had set up the program, now I just needed to press the enter key. "Good bye, friends." I hit the key. "Return to the Past, now!" The bright light filled the entire room and rewound time. I might be going home… or I might not.

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Hooray! Only one chapter to go! Please R&R. Expect the last chapter tomorrow! 

Chapter 9 Summary: Ulrich wakes up in a familiar dorm room. Did he make it? Or is he still rooming with Keith?


	9. The Return & Ten Years Later

The very last chappie of My Desert Home! The Return Program seems to last forever before Ulrich wakes up in a very familiar room...

Disclaimer: I don't Code Lyoko.

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**CHAPTER 9**

The trip lasted longer than any other Return Trip ever had. I almost thought I would be stuck in it forever, but after what seemed like four-and-a-half hours, I finally saw daylight. I sat up and looked at my dorm room. It looked just like Keith's dorm when I had woken up the first time. Keith had woken up early and left the room for breakfast, and he had left a note saying so. I found the note on the desk in front of the window. I looked at my covers; even they looked exactly like the covers I had slept in last night.

I stole a glance at my pajamas. _Wait!_ I wasn't wearing these pajamas last time! I jumped out and my foot landed on something furry. I heard a yelp and watched a dog rush underneath my bed. "Kiwi!" I grabbed the mutt and brought him close. I never thought I'd be glad to see him. Kiwi struggled to free himself from my grasp and I let him go.

"Ulrich, why aren't you dressed? Aren't you going to breakfast? I left you a note saying where I was." I turned to find Odd—thirteen-year-old Odd—sticking his head in the room.

"Odd! I-I'll be there in a minute." I cheered at my success. I had made it home… my real home! It was more real than my life twenty-five years later, or Lyoko, my desert home. I dressed in my usual green attire and joined Odd, Yumi, Jeremie, and Aelita—all thirteen (except for Yumi, who was one year older than we were)—outside the lunchroom.

I wouldn't have minded a hug or something. That was how happy I was, but I held back. "Hey guys, the weirdest thing happened today," Jeremie started.

"What? Did you actually wake up in your bed?" Odd laughed.

"No, I found a new program in the supercomputer that I never set up. It was like someone else had been on the supercomputer."

"What do you mean, Jeremie?" Aelita asked.

"I found a materialization program that only took three days to create."

"Three days? Who could have been able to do that?" Yumi asked.

Three days to make a materialization program… They found the program that thirty-eight-year-old Jeremie set up for me! "You can find out where it came from later. Let's eat, first," I suggested.

"Ulrich, my friend, you've just made my stomach very happy!" Odd cheered. I looked at my friends. This was where I belonged. I thought about what Skye had said. _'If this Xana hadn't trapped you on the virtual world for twenty-five years, I don't think I would exist now.'_ What if that was true? I was here. I wanted Yumi more than anything, but I didn't want to be responsible for preventing the existence of three of my friends.

I looked at Yumi. I guess that would also depend on whom Yumi chooses for a husband. Who knows? Maybe she'll still pick Odd… Only time would tell. For now, I just enjoyed the time I spent with my friends, and I enjoyed my breakfast. _Only time would tell._

**TEN YEARS LATER: NORMAL POV**

A woman sat in her rocking chair, slowly sipping her coffee. Her only daughter played silently with her dolls on the newly laid carpet in front of her. The room was quiet when a smooth ring of the doorbell informed her of her company. "Honey, could you get that?" Yumi called to her husband.

"I'm getting ready for my business trip," he called, struggling to tighten his loose tie. "Could you get it?" She opened the door, allowing a young child and his parents to enter. John ran in, surprising Yumi's daughter into a joyful shriek.

"Skye, please don't scream. Now run along." Skye and John chose to play in another room. "Hey, Jeremie, Aelita. How are you doing?"

Jeremie and Aelita Belpois approached. In Aelita's arms, a baby only two days old slept. "Hi Yumi, I hope you don't mind if we stop by."

"Not at all. So, how are you both doing?"

"Fine, just relishing these joyful days," replied Jeremie.

Yumi nodded in agreement. "How was last week's honeymoon?"

"We planned a dinner that night. It was very romantic," Aelita sighed.

Changing the subject, Jeremie asked, "Odd said he was going to leave on a trip in an hour, right?"

"Yeah, some goofball finally asked about a drawing, so Odd has to see about the cost," Yumi answered.

"Odd seems to have finally gotten a handle on his artistic profession," Aelita laughed. "So, how's your band, Yumi?"

"My band's been on vacation ever since I became pregnant." Yumi held her stomach. "How's the science building coming out?"

"The construction is working very smoothly. You know that they're using the factory, right? Well, it looks brand new."

The three friends conversed about how the other was doing in life. After Yumi spent a couple minutes describing the music her band was performing, Aelita inturrupted, "Isn't the baby scheduled for today?"

"Aelita, you know how inaccurate those doctors are," Jeremie contradicted.

"Not necessarily, Jeremie. They were only one day off for both John and Micah."

Yumi agreed, "Same with Skye, too."

"Then the baby will come along tomorrow, not today," he insisted.

"You can think what you want, Jeremie. She's coming today." Yumi stood to put her coffee in the kitchen, but then grabbed her stomach and dropped her coffee, creating a rather large stain in the new carpet. "It's time," she replied proudly.

At the hospital, Yumi was pushed into a room. Her husband followed her the entire time, encouraging her. "We've decided with a name for her, right?" She was breathing harshly.

"Both of them," he replied.

"Since when am I having twins?"

"You never know."

"Okay… what are _their_ names?" she smirked.

"We're naming the one Keith. You can name the other."

"I like Naomi."

"Naomi it is." He was asked to step into the waiting room for a moment.

Skye approached her father and asked, "What's wrong with Mommy?"

"Remember that baby brother you wanted? He's coming."

"But Mommy said the new baby was going to be a girl."

"You're getting both a brother and a sister."

"Both? But—"

"You're mom doesn't think big enough, Skye." A doctor appeared at the doorway. "Can I see her?"

"She's under a lot of stress and she keeps calling your name."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"...Follow me," he replied.

He followed the doctor into the room to find his wife. She was sweating and seemed to be in a lot of pain. He ran up to her and grabbed her hand. "Ulrich! Ulrich! Ulrich?" she asked once she felt his hand squeeze hers.

"I'm here, Yumi," he smiled. Ulrich gently placed his lips upon her hand. "I'm here."

* * *

So there's the last of it! Now, I'll be focusing on my KP fanfic until I post _at least_ two chapters of Soul Mates before I think about rewriting this fic. I noticed that I left some doors open for possible pairings that I meant to include the first time I wrote this. When I rewrite, I'll probably pair some of my OC's. Any suggestions? 

Please R&R.


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